The death of the child actress who starred in this acclaimed movie brought me here. When I watched "The Man From Nowhere", my heart was heavy at the loss of such a very talented actress. Kim Sae-ron died by suicide and I just couldn't stop wandering why she had to travel that route at 24. It's really so sad!
The Man From Nowhere is a 2010 movie which was the highest-grossing Korean film of that year.
Directed by Lee Jeong-beom, and starring Won Bin and Kim Sae-ron, it is a thriller that keeps you at the edge of your seat for the whole runtime of 119 minutes.
The reason I've fallen deeply in love with Korean movies is that they never fail to deliver, you can never experience a dull moment watching them.
Cha Tae-sik (played by Won Bin) is quiet and an introvert. He runs a small pawnshop in a drab neighborhood and wears this melancholic look everytime. He has no friends and hardly interacts with people outside business. But for So-mi, a neglected, talkative little girl who lives next door, he had a soft spot.
So-mi’s mother is a drug addict who steals a stash of heroin from a dangerous criminal syndicate. As a result, both mother and daughter are kidnapped by the gang.
Tae-sik is forced out of his shell because of his love for So-mi. But what the criminals didn't bargain for was that he is not just an ordinary pawnshop owner but a former black ops agent, a government assassin who disappeared after a tragic personal loss.
His quest to rescue So-mi because of the bond he shares with her and also because of his past grief, makes him to embark on a relentless and violent journey. Along the way, he uncovers the horrifying world of child trafficking, organ harvesting, and narcotics, and set out to dismantle it, one bloody step at a time.
Was Tae-sik able to save So-mi just in time. Was he able to find closure from his past?
Find out in this movie that boasts of the most fascinating knife fights I have ever seen.
To me "The Man from Nowhere isn’t just an action movie—it’s a heart-wrenching story about trauma and how it can feel like, when bottled up over time. The violence is purposeful, the emotions are raw, and the performances are unforgettable. It is known as one of Korea’s finest modern thrillers.
Won Bin’s role? Unique, intense, memorable. What I loved about him was that he spoke very little, but allowed his every glance, his body movements carry the whole weight. He appeared very cold on the outside but warm and protective on the inside.
With razor sharp tension, the film exposes themes of child neglect and their vulnerability, drug abuse and organ trafficking
Tae-sik's bond with So-mi makes father-daughter relationship deeply personal.
So-mi (Kim Sae-ron) lovingly portrayed a lonely, sweet girl whose innocence and warmth became the heart of the story 💔
I hope she finds rest where she is.
The movie won 7 major awards at the Korean Film Awards including Best Actor won by (Won Bin) and I am giving it a super rating of 5/5.
Thank you for reading.
